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Commonwealth of Europa
“O Europa! How your stars shine bright!” The Commonwealth of Europa is one of the great powers that emerged following the fall of the Republic of Sol. The Golden Commonwealth “O Europa! Your beauty to endure forever more!” These are the words echoed by innocent children swearing loyalty to their navy-white banner every day. Yes, that magnificent continent known as Europa, unrivalled in all aspects of innovation and quality of living, was to be replicated here on Carolingia; her ideals of democracy, freedom, and peace to be fulfilled. Indeed, with several decades of hard work, the founding fathers have achieved all those blessings—and all curses with its implementation. Whereas a normal state could be analogized as a machine with complex gears grinding upon one another, the Commonwealth would best be described as several Rube Goldberg machines attempting to operate at the same time. It is commonly known that Europan citizens humor themselves by sending unsuspecting foreigners into a government agency when asked for help. Much like a labyrinth, the bureaucratic process is indeed an unicursal path—a path full of twists and turns. By the time a simple request reaches their properly ministry, it would have become a thick folder of gratuitous information. All this complexity, though, is created in the name of safeguarding Europan democracy from any unfair mettling. Though, the Europans may defend their democratic liberties vehemently, none will deny that it would be easier to wait for the sweet relief of death than to call for an ambulance. Of course, with such an extensive, over-detailed, trivial, inessential, unnecessarily long procedure to process everything, thousands of civil servants have took upon themselves to exercise more “direct” methods to relieve their citizens of their needs. Thus, in the end, as proper protocol begins to be circumvented, due process avoided, contingencies ignored, so has the impregnable fortress surrounding Europan democracy come undone. The Dawning Star Despite the insufferable etiquettes, Europa has thus far enjoyed a stable growth in its population, economy, and of course, size—though, not in the typical manner. To compensate for its relatively small territory, Europa has invested heavily in alternative habitats and became a pioneer in unorthodox colonies. Indeed, these policies can be traced back to the founding of the nations. By the end of the collapse, Europa has gotten all but the less desirable conditions—a divided polity, a nonexistent military, and surrounded by enemies. In a dire time where this corner of the galaxy looked like it was going to become yet another Zelvan proxy state, rose the great names of “Ulysses Faulconbridge”, “Isabelle del Torio”, “Jurian Vloedbeld” and the likes. In total, there were twelve of these great names that would forever be enshrined in the Europan Assembly. These men and women, young and old, would rise in this time of need and unite the scattered and isolated people of the north, founding a confederation to unite the many identities which inhabited this region of space. Scavenging outdated vessels and mustering men from all walks of life, the kit-bashed Confederation Navy was able to fend off the Zelvan onslaught for thirty-three days. Albeit with heavy costs and the loss of much territory, the young polity was able to survive. Thus, taking inspiration from the union which once united the distant continent, the confederation was reorganized into a commonwealth of diversity. Much of the records regarding that certain union, however, has been lost to time, driving the founding fathers of the new nation to spend the rest of their lives dedicated to its studies. Glimmers of hope, though, shine through the gap of a fog-covered past. Though some names have been forgotten, other names gives insight to the characters of their distant ancestors—the Tesla Coil, for example, was concluded as an invention of Saint Nicholas, who may or may not have also created a series of automobiles. In any case, whether it’d be the Great Names, the names martyred, or the names forgotten, the concept of names carry a great significance and influence over the Europan people. Names, to the Europan, are something greater—it is the mark of existence, a statement left for history herself. Such is the reason why they chose to christen the star with “Charlemagne”, to enshrine that old ancestor which gave the concept of Europa. Such is the reason why they chose to christen the planet with “Ulysses”, to honor the man who stood up when no one else would. Such is the reason why they chose to christen themselves as the Commonwealth, for the greater good of all its inhabitants. Now, this young nation, energetic and galvanized with the prospects of a better future, seeks to make a stand as the bulwark against Zelvan aggression in hopes of constructing a prosperous home. The Twilight Crossroads As pioneers of spaceborne settlements, the Europans have conceived a unique national conscious between those living within the aether, and those living on Ulysses proper. Indeed, to all Europans, Ulysses is not only a planet, but a shared forum—a shared home—of which all Europans can visit and congregate with their fellow countrymen. This vast patchwork of satellite-colonies, orbital stations, and dyson-habitats surrounding their core of Ulysses, in turn, has been colloquially dubbed as the Twilight Crossroads. Wherever you are born—so long as you are on the Twilight Crossroads—you are Europan. Aside from the political and cultural connection the crossroads offer, this strength in unity has also allowed an expansive economic network internally. It would not be untrue to call Europan the Post-Collapse Bazaar, being one of the largest—if not, the only—thriving economies in the current status quo. Ever insatiable, the Europan merchants have long sought opportunities to escape the bureaucratic grips of Charlemagne and expand outwards—a sentiment shared by state-owned companies. Indeed, Europan has too much to spend on, and luxury is something ill-afforded in these times. Privately or nationally owned, these companies would seek out any and every potential customer in the galaxy and offer them help. These decrepit states have lost their luster, and it’s up to the Europans to return humanity to their former glory. Such is their strategy—these companies constructing schools, hospitals, houses, solar farms, mining stations, and even warships operate on a very generous policy: you wouldn’t need to pay back the favor immediately, but when the time arise, you would be expected to do so. Of course, how could these offers be malicious in any way? Their goals are merely to emancipate humanity.Category:Great Powers